True Identity
by sunflowerobi
Summary: Chapter 5 Finally Up Almost at her 16th birthday, Kagome turns 'weird'. Sesshoumaru comes and kidnaps her, and during that time, Kagome changes... AND WHAT! Kagome's actually NOT from modern Japan? What's going on? Read to find out!
1. Omens

Standard Disclaimer Apply. [There's really no point in putting this, since this is a **FAN**fiction you're reading... but just for precautions in case somebody decide to sue me... ^_^]

  
  
True Identity 

By Sunflowerobi

Chapter One: Omens

  
  
*^^*^^*^^* 

ã€€

What...?

ã€€ 

...Flowing silver-white hair in the light breeze... Children laughing and playing...

ã€€ 

Where...?

ã€€ 

...Dark-green forest... Huge mountain... Endless field... Somewhere rural, countrified...

  
When...? 

ã€€ 

...Bright blazing sun...Puffs of fluffy-looking clouds...Blue sky...Probably afternoon...

ã€€ 

Who...?

ã€€ 

...A young boy with silver-white hair runs toward her-

ã€€ 

*^^*^^*^^*

ã€€ 

Kagome sat up in her sleeping bag with a small gasp. Her head felt like it was going to split open right then and there. She was completely covered with...ew, sweat. Looking around, she found her companions all asleep. Kagome decided that there was no point in going back while she was covered with sweat, so she went to her bag and took some clothes and accessories for a good bath. Pivoting on her heels, she headed for a nearby hot spring.

ã€€ 

***

ã€€ 

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. He could feel a very, VERY faint trace of youki near the campsite if he concentrated enough, but it was gradually retreating.

ã€€ 

_Well, no point in chasing after trouble,_ he thought.

ã€€ 

Looking around to make sure that everyone was there, Inuyasha suddenly noticed that Kagome's missing.

ã€€

_Shit. Where's the stupid wench?_ Inuyasha sniffed the air out of habit. _...sweat...Shit. Probably the youkai captured her... Damn girl._

ã€€ 

Leaping down silently from the tree branch he was perched on, Inuyasha ran toward where he could detect the faint trace of youki.

ã€€ 

_Hold on, Kagome! I'm coming!_ was Inuyasha's thought as he bounced from tree to tree towards where he thought she was.

ã€€ 

***

ã€€ 

Kagome looked intently at the hot spring. Quickly snapping out of her dreamy state, she shed her clothes and dove in. Sighing contentedly, Kagome soaked herself totally wet, and was about to fall asleep when she heard a shout.

ã€€ 

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha leaped from the woods, looking alarmed and ready for battle.

ã€€ 

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, her eyes on the verge of bugging out. "...I-Inu...ya-yasha...?" She mumbled dumbly -- obviously, from shock -- before she came back to her senses, blushing scarlet.

ã€€ 

After he caught himself gawking at Kagome bathing, Inuyasha, too, turned a wonderfully deep shade of red. He froze, knowing what would come.

ã€€ 

"O-Osuwari!" Frantically, Kagome used her advantage of the word against Inuyasha.

ã€€ 

*splash*

  
Inuyasha dove face-first into the hot water, almost drowning himself.   


Quickly, in the blink of an eye, Kagome scrambled out of the water, dried herself, and got dressed. Sitting down, she waited for Inuyasha to come out of the water. FINALLY, after what seemed like centuries to Inuyasha, but in reality and to Kagome only a minute, Inuyasha surfaced, sputtering hot water and muttering curses.

ã€€ 

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, KAGOME?!" Inuyasha shouted and glared daggers at Kagome.

ã€€ 

"The question was, WHAT were YOU doing HERE?" Kagome crossed her arms, also glaring daggers at Inuyasha.

ã€€ 

***

ã€€ 

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, KAGOME?!"

ã€€ 

Suddenly, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara all woke up from what seems to be Inuyasha's shouting. Miroku and Sango traded worried glances before they and Shippou ran toward the other two, with Sango instructing Kirara to stay and watch their campsite and belongings.

ã€€ 

"I wonder what's the racket in the midnight about?" Sango mumbled as they raced through the forest.

ã€€ 

"Who knows? Maybe another one of their fights." Shippou hung onto Miroku as the houshi sped up.

ã€€ 

"Any idea what the fight's about?" Miroku asked curiously.

ã€€ 

"Nope."

ã€€ 

Halting as they neared a clearing, the trio went to hide behind bushes near the clearing, eaves-dropping.

ã€€ 

***

ã€€ 

"The question was, WHAT were YOU doing HERE?" Kagome crossed her arms and glared daggers at Inuyasha.

ã€€ 

Grumbling, Inuyasha waded out of the hot spring. "The things I do for YOU." He said unhappily as he tried to wring his clothes and hair dry.

ã€€ 

"Huh?" Kagome blinked at him.

ã€€ 

"I said, THE THINGS I DO FOR YOU!" Frustrated, Inuyasha almost screamed at Kagome.

  
"I KNOW what you said." Also frustrated, Kagome turned away from him completely, pouting.   


"Then WHAT do you mean by, 'huh', huh?" Impatiently, Inuyasha growled at her.

ã€€ 

"NOTHING!" She screamed.

ã€€ 

"FINE, THEN!" Because there's another problem now, with his ears ringing, Inuyasha screamed with twice as much force as Kagome.

ã€€ 

"Hmph!" Both fuming, they turned away from each other.

ã€€ 

"...and I can't believe I was ever worried about you..." Kagome heard Inuyasha mumbled behind her.

ã€€ 

"EH~?" Most of the red color are gone from Kagome's cheeks now, as she turned to Inuyasha, surprised.

ã€€ 

"NOTHING!" Inuyasha's cheeks suddenly burned red with embarrassment. He didn't think she could heard that! Even if so close together!

ã€€ 

"Fine..." Kagome sounded a little disappointed, but suddenly she had this little devil grin on her face.

ã€€ 

Inuyasha was suddenly afraid, VERY afraid, more afraid than he'll ever admitted to. This is a bad omen.

ã€€ 

"Fine, then, Inuyasha-"

ã€€ 

***

ã€€ 

"Let us leave them now." Miroku suggested.

ã€€ 

It seems like the arguments are ending, anyway, and they wouldn't wanted to be found eaves-dropping the two. Approving, Sango nodded and agreed. "Very true."

ã€€ 

Following the tracks they made when they sped through the forest, the trio made their way back toward the campsite, where Kirara is waiting for them.

ã€€ 

"OSUWARI!" They heard a shout from behind them, which made Sango and Miroku, the older ones, sighed, and Shippou, as the kid, snickered.

ã€€ 

Suddenly, Miroku stopped in his tracks, so suddenly that made the nimble Sango bumped into him without cautions.

ã€€ 

"What the hell?!" Sango whined as she rubbed her pink nose.

ã€€ 

[Very OOCness of Sango, I know, but it just HAVE to be there... -_-;;]

ã€€ 

"...San-Sango...Did you sense any youki around...?" Miroku asked, tightening his grip on his staff.

ã€€ 

"You-Youki...?" Sango gulped. She's not ready for this, not right now, but as a taijiya, it's her duty. Concentrating hard with all her senses, Sango scanned the area around them. There's the youki emitting from Inuyasha, and a tiny bit from Shippou, but...there's a very, very faint youki from behind them. Sango gasped.

ã€€ 

Miroku narrowed his eyes. "So you can sense it, too?"

ã€€ 

Numbly, Sango nodded. "I think it's from there..." She pointed at the direction which they had came before - where Inuyasha and Kagome was fighting.

ã€€ 

Quickly stepping back toward the clearing, the trio broke into the clearing, to see Inuyasha spitting out dirt from his mouth.

ã€€ 

"Pleh! Pleh! Ugh! Disgusting! Yuck!" Inuyasha chanted as he kept on spitting out the unwelcome particle in his mouth.

ã€€ 

Miroku scanned the area around them this time. It's not from around them, but right IN the clearing. The problem is, he can't see any strangers or anything out of sort in the clearing, except their own little rag-tag group. Sango noticed the odds, too. She and Miroku exchanged a worried glance.

ã€€ 

At last, Inuyasha seem to spit out all the dirt as he sat down on the ground crossed-legs-and-arms [you know, Inuyasha style! ^_^] in exhaustion, due to his little 'exercise'. "Can't you sense the faint trace of youki, Kagome?" He asked, curious as to why Kagome had not notice anything yet. "That's why I followed you, you should know." He shrugged.

ã€€ 

"You-Youki...?" Kagome sounded surprised, but then she closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to sense the 'faint trace of youki' that Inuyasha said. Finally, Kagome opened her eyes, looking as confused as ever. "...Youki? I don't sense any."

ã€€ 

Now everyone else in the clearing other than Kagome exchanged some worried glance.

ã€€ 

"Kagome-chan?" Sango asked as Kagome turned to her. "You sure you can't sense any?" Kagome shook her head no. "But...even I can..." Sango stared at the ground, suddenly as confused as Kagome might be at the moment.

ã€€ 

"Are you sure, Kagome-sama?" Miroku pressed.

ã€€ 

"Are you saying that I'm the one who's lying?" Kagome glared at the houshi.

ã€€ 

"N-No." Miroku swallowed hard.

  
"Hmph." Turning, Kagome headed back to the campsite with her bathing accessories. 

ã€€

"Boy. Kagome sure is on the edge tonight. I wonder what's wrong with her?" Shippou voiced everyone's thoughts as they all followed Kagome.

ã€€ 

***The Next Morning...***

ã€€ 

*YAWN~*

ã€€ 

"Come on, wench. The sun's already up several hours ago!" Came Inuyasha's voice from the tree above her.

ã€€ 

"Shut up! No thanks to you, I didn't get any real sleep last night!" Kagome shouted at Inuyasha, throwing the thing next to her at Inuyasha.

ã€€ 

*clonk*   


The object hit right on the target.

ã€€

"OW!!"

ã€€ 

"SH*T!"

ã€€ 

"Eh~?" Suddenly out of her sleeping state, Kagome looked at the 'object' that she threw at Inuyasha as it fell down. "Ah! Shippou-chan! I'm so terribly sorry!!!"

ã€€ 

"I-It's alright, Kagome- KYAAA~!!!!" Suddenly, Shippou screamed so loud, he almost broke Inuyasha's eardrums.

ã€€ 

"SH*T! Shut up, you little brat!" Inuyasha broke off a medium-size tree branch over his head and threw it at the poor Shippou.   


"KYAAA~!" Shippou screamed yet again as he got pounded into the ground by the tree branch.

ã€€ 

"Inuyasha- OSUWARI!" Kagome commanded, fed up of the dog-ear jerk.

ã€€ 

"Chikusho..." Inuyasha, UN-surprisingly, cursed.

ã€€ 

After the pain subsided, Inuyasha sat up and -- unfortunately, for him -- he looked into Kagome's eyes.

ã€€ 

"GAH!" Inuyasha yelped in surprise.

ã€€ 

"INUYASHA!"

ã€€ 

"-Kagome-sama!"

ã€€ 

"-Kagome-chan!"

ã€€ 

Miroku broke into the clearing, with Sango in tow. They bend down to catch their breath.

ã€€ 

"W-we suddenly felt the you-youki...AGAIN! and...and..." When Sango looked up, she gasped and put her hands to cover her mouth, the normal narrow eyes widening. "...Ka-Kagome-chan...?"

ã€€ 

*whoosh*

ã€€ 

A light breeze passed through the clearing, catching Kagome's, Inuyasha's, and Sango's long hair.

ã€€ 

It was Miroku who recovered and regained his composure first.

ã€€ 

"Really, Kagome-sama, I can't believe you have blood-red shot eyes like a youkai's. Have you been sleeping well?"

ã€€ 

----------

END OF CHAPTER ONE: OMENS

ã€€ 

----------

NEXT TIME, ON TRUE IDENTITY:

  
Chapter Two: Abduction 

As the title said, kidnapping. Sesshoumaru appears and some important flashbacks. and WHAT?! There's a girl before even KIKYO?! Who's SHE????

ã€€ 

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TRANSLATIONS:

ã€€ 

-youki: demon aura

-youkai: demon

-osuwari: sit

-houshi: {Buddhist} lower ranked level priest/monk

-taijiya: demon exterminator

-chikusho: um, a curse, one such as "shit" or "damn" [I'm not exactly sure if I spelled this right...]


	2. Abduction

Standard Disclaimer Apply

ã€€ 

  
True Identity

By Sunflowerobi

Chapter Two: Abduction

ã€€ 

ã€€

The day, to Kagome, FINALLY had passed by so ever slowly.

ã€€ 

*YAWN~*

ã€€ 

"I'm so tired..." Shippou rubbed his eyes.

ã€€ 

"Go to sleep, Shippou-chan." Kagome's eyes, by now, had turn to Inuyasha's strange golden color. They had been trying to figure out why the whole day, with no clue still. In addition, Shippou had pointed out that Kagome's ears had turned slightly pointy, like a youkai's.

ã€€ 

"hmm...alright. Oyasumi nasai, Kagome-chan." Curling into a small ball in Kagome's sleeping bag, Shippou slowly drifted off to dreamland.

  


"Oyasumi ne, Shippou-chan." Slipping into her sleeping bag, Kagome also drifted off to sleep.

  
*** 

ã€€

Inuyasha watched Kagome sleeping under the silvery moonlight.

ã€€

_...Kagome...Kikyo...Kyoko... They all look so similar, yet so different in their manners. ...Kagome...Kikyo..._

ã€€

_...KYOKO!!_ Inuyasha's eyes suddenly widened in realization. _...where have you been all these years...? Where have you disappeared off to...? Where are you...? Kyoko...please...please come back... I want you back..._

ã€€ 

Bit by bit, Inuyasha drifted off into dreamland, just as Kagome and Shippo had, though to the hell side - nightmare.

ã€€ 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

ã€€ 

Blue sky... Green forests... A wonderful summer afternoon...

ã€€ 

Children's laughter as they play...

ã€€ 

It's...It's...

ã€€ 

"Kyoko-chan!!" Inuyasha, still in his childhood, ran towards a girl of his age with similar long silver white hair to his.

ã€€ 

"Inu-chan!!" Giggling, the little girl leapt toward him, hugging him with all her might.

ã€€ 

A light pink blush covering his cheeks, Inuyasha held out a bunch of wildflowers he'd pick earlier in the woods. "For you, Kyoko-chan."

ã€€ 

She took it in her own tiny hands, looking from him to the sweet-scented flowers and back again. Then, little by little, she started to grin at him. "Arigatou, Inu-chan." She now has a big innocent smile on her young face. After hugging him again to show her gratitude, Kyoko released him and asked him whether he wanted to come or not.

ã€€ 

"Where?" He asked.

ã€€ 

"I don't know. But chichiue-sama and Inutaisho-sama(1) asked me and Sesshou-chan to meet at the big Goshinboku. Wanna come with me?"

ã€€ 

"Okay!!" Enthusiastically, Inuyasha jumped up and down to show his excitement.

ã€€ 

Kyoko giggled, then held out her right hand as an offer. Inuyasha took it, and together, they trotted down the path towards the big Goshinboku.

ã€€ 

***

ã€€ 

"Come here, my daughter." In his humanoid form, the Lord of Eastern Lands and best friend of the Lord of Western Lands, Shiroinu(2), opened his arms in a welcoming gesture to his only daughter.

ã€€ 

"Hai, chichiue-sama." Kyoko obeyed.

  
Setting his daughter on his lap, Shiroinu whispered into her pointed youkai ears quietly enough only for her to hear, even though there's no one around to hear anything he has to say. "Kyoko-chan, I have a surprise for you." 

ã€€

Looking at her father in confusion, Kyoko had a curious expression on her face. "What is it?"

ã€€ 

Before Shiroinu can answer, however, some rustlings and a pleasant voice sounded out from the other side of the Goshinboku. "Ah, I see you're earlier than us, Shiro(3), Kyoko." Inutaisho stepped from behind the Goshinboku with his son, Sesshoumaru, following him. Sesshoumaru flashed Kyoko one of his rare genuine smile, which Kyoko, in return, ran over to give him a hug. In the background, Inutaisho and Shiroinu exchanged an amused glance.

ã€€ 

"Ahem-" Inutaisho began, clearing his throat.

ã€€ 

Immediately, Kyoko released her grip on Sesshoumaru, and stood at attention like a ready soldier. "Yes, sir." She said.

ã€€ 

"As I said, Kyoko, that here's a little surprise." Shiroinu began gently like a patient father he is.

ã€€ 

Kyoko nodded. This whole business here is about the surprise, she can understand that.

  
"Well..." Inutaisho began, but he sighed and lost his courage as he turned to his best friend. "Do you want to say it?" 

ã€€

"Ahem." Shiro cleared his throat importantly. "Well, Kyoko, Sesshoumaru, you two are engaged to each other."

ã€€ 

*gasp*

ã€€ 

Kyoko sucked in some air in pure surprise as all colors are gone from her.

ã€€ 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly. No, he does not hate Kyoko. Rather, she's one of the few females he respected. However, the problem was, why didn't his father tell him? Surely he knew that this is a very important matter, so why didn't his father discuss it with him? Or tell him? Or, at the very least, hint? Was he not trustworthy or even at all worthy to his father? What's the case? Hmph. Maybe these questions shall be answered later on, but not for now. The real question for now, is: does he care about Kyoko? He doesn't know for sure.

ã€€ 

Kyoko, on the other hand, was so shocked that she couldn't speak or think straight. As a result of that, Kyoko forgot the little "guest" that she invited moments ago.

ã€€ 

***Behind the High Bushes...*

  


Behind the high bushes that surrounds the clearing of the Goshinboku, Inuyasha stood at attention, listening to the conversation quietly and intently.

  


"...Kyoko, Sesshoumaru, you two are engaged to each other."

  


*gasp*

  


He can tell from the way the air whooshed that the gasp was made by Kyoko.

  


Engaged. ENGAGED. The word, engaged, imprinted itself into his brain. His brother - _**half**_ brother - was engaged to _Kyoko_ - **_his_** Kyoko. That son of a bitch(4) which is his half brother stole _**his**_ Kyoko from RIGHT under his nose.

  
Curling his clawed hands into tight balls at his sides, Inuyasha vowed to get a revenge on this, to his damned half brother, Sesshoumaru.

ã€€

_Sesshoumaru...Just you watch, and you'll pay DEARLY for what you've done to my life. I PROMISE._

ã€€ 

Because of this engagement, a hatred sprung up between the inu-youkai brothers. An unspoken hatred that was planted deeply in the heart.

  
*** 

ã€€

"Sesshou-chan!!" A cheerful voice called out from behind him.

ã€€ 

Turning gracefully, Sesshoumaru saw Kyoko walking up to him, a little bundle of wild flowers in her hands.

ã€€ 

"How are you doing, Kyoko-chan?" Sesshoumaru inquired as they walked down the path together.

ã€€ 

"Great!! How about you, Sesshou-chan?" If anybody other than his parents and Kyoko called him Sesshou-chan, they'd feel better being dead.

ã€€ 

"Fine." He replied, keeping his eyes on the road that they were passing.

ã€€ 

"Great!! Well, I'm going on a little exploring adventure, wanna come with me?" She asked, keeping her eyes on their surrounding scenarios instead of the road.

ã€€ 

"No thanks. I have lessons to do later in the day."

ã€€ 

"Oh." She sounded a little disappointed. "Well, I'll see you later, then." She dashed off at a supersonic speed, even for someone that's a pure youkai, and _**especially**_ someone that's a three-quarter youkai. Apparently, she had had some training for that.

ã€€ 

He didn't know how much his reply had cost him until later that day. That day when the dear Kyoko disappeared. That fateful day when the dear Kyoko was last seen. By him.

ã€€ 

Shiroinu became sick after a month of searching for Kyoko made no improvement. They believed Kyoko was dead, as one of the searching parties found a sleeve from the kimono that Kyoko wore that day when he saw her, and stains of her blood near a dried well, although her scent just "disappeared". After a week when he became sick, Shiroinu was so grief-stricken that he died from it. Now the Eastern Lands were temporarily run by Shiroinu's brother, Kuroinu(5), the black-furred inu-youkai, until "Lady Kyoko" comes back.

ã€€ 

That they have yet to see.

ã€€ 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

ã€€ 

***The previous night at the Castle of the Western Land Lord...***

ã€€ 

Sesshoumaru tossed and turned in his feverish sleep, restless.

ã€€ 

"...uhn...uhhh..."

ã€€ 

*^^*^^*^^*

ã€€ 

"KYAA~!!" Kyoko scrambled away from an ugly-looking snake youkai.

  
"I wantssssss your beeeeaaauuutiful flessssssssssssssssssssshhh..." The snake youkai hissed as it looked coldly at the frightened Kyoko.   


*spurts*

ã€€ 

Blood splashes everywhere as the snake youkai happily devoured its victim.

ã€€ 

"Delicccciiioussssssssssssssssssssssss..." It hissed again once more, grinning maliciously.

ã€€ 

*^^*^^*^^*

ã€€ 

"UGH!!" Sesshoumaru suddenly sat up in his futon, sweating and breathing hard. Pressing his face into his palm, he tried to calm down.

ã€€

_...no...not this...this kind of dream again... Kyo-Kyoko... WHERE are you...? ...P-PLEASE come back...if you're alive... PLEASE..._

ã€€

Looking up, Sesshoumaru glanced through the opened window at the full moon. Slowly reaching up to his forehead, he touched the crescent moon mark there. _...Kyoko...66 years...it'll be 66 years tomorrow since your disappearance. Are you...are you alive and well...? Please come back...to me._

ã€€ 

Standing up from the futon, Sesshoumaru got dressed into his traveling clothes, then picked up his swords, Tenseiga and Toukijin, on his way out to the castle halls. Jaken, sensing his master's presence, scurried up to his lord.

ã€€ 

"Se-Sesshoumaru-sama... Wha-what are you planning to do this late?" Jaken's huge bulging eyes glowed slightly in the dim halls.

ã€€ 

"Go, Jaken. I will do some... hunting tonight. Make sure you guard the castle well." Gliding down the halls, the Lord of the Western Lands commanded without turning back to glance at his retainer. Not once.

ã€€ 

"H-hai, Se-Sesshoumaru-sama."

ã€€ 

He said nothing more as he continued down the halls.

ã€€ 

***

ã€€ 

He had been watching them for an entire day now. They wouldn't know he's here, of course, since he's concealed in a magical shield. He had been careful when he thought of this plan. Not only is he going to destroy Inuyasha physically, but emotionally as well. That's what the brat gets when he challenged a superior one like the Lord of Western Lands all those years ago, after Kyoko disappeared - _**especially**_ after Kyoko disappeared. He had only one objective in mind as he laid in wait to kidnap the wench that follows his lowly half-brother.

ã€€ 

Something odd was in the air, though. He could definitely sense it.

ã€€ 

***At Night...***

ã€€ 

After placing a complicated sleeping spell over the entire group, Sesshoumaru leapt down from his perch on the tree branch. Dismissing the magical shield that concealed his form, Sesshoumaru - not so gently - tugged the wench from her attachment - the little kitsune brat. Even as he detested the idea, the Lord of the Western Lands wrapped the wench by his furry tail, and took to the air, on his way to his castle.

ã€€

_We'll see, Inuyasha... We'll see who's the better one..._

ã€€ 

***The Next Morning...***

ã€€ 

*YAWN~*

ã€€ 

Sango turned over in her sleep. She hadn't slept this good for, well, years. ...Why didn't the others wake her up? This thought bugged her as she strained to sit up. Shielding her eyes from the blazing sun, she squinted around the camp, expecting to see her companions all up and around. What greeted her was a snoring group consisting of a houshi, a dog-ear hanyou, and two youkai. Sango couldn't help but smile a little. But, suddenly, she snapped her attention towards Kagome's sleeping bag. Her eyes widened in utter surprise.

ã€€ 

"MINNA-SAN!! WAKE UP!! KAGOME-CHAN IS MISSING!!!!"

ã€€ 

----------

END OF CHAPTER TWO: ABDUCTION

ã€€ 

----------

TRANSLATIONS:

ã€€ 

-youkai: demon

-oyasumi nasai / oyasumi ne: good night [you only say it before you go to sleep]

-chichiue: formal way of saying father

-Goshinboku: sacred tree [I'm not exactly sure about "sacred tree", but it's the tree similar to which Inuyasha was pinned to. (*)]

-inu-youkai: dog demon

-kitsune: fox (youkai) [one such as Shippou]

-houshi: {Buddhist} lower ranking monk/priest [one such as Miroku]

-hanyou: half demon [one such as Inuyasha]

-minna-san: everyone

ã€€ 

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SIDE NOTES:

  
(1)Inutaisho: I know a lot of people put the name Inutaisho when it comes to Inuyasha's dad. It's got something to do being a dog demon lord, I think. 

(2)Shiroinu: If I'm correct about this, I think it means "white dog", named for Shiroinu's white fur.

(3)Shiro: Since they grew up together as children, I think it's fitting that they have nicknames for each other.

(4)son of a bitch: this is technically/genetically/whatever-you-call-it true. I mean, think about it. Sesshoumaru's okaa-san in this fic will be a inu-youkai, so won't that make him son of a "bitch" as in female dog??

(5)Kuroinu: IF I'm correct about this, it means "black dog", named for Kuroinu's black fur. um, I realized after I typed this that hika-chan used this name for Sesshoumaru's uncle in her fic, Once in a Blue Moon, even though I had no intention of stealing... I'm sorry, hika-chan!! i.i

(*)Goshinboku...tree similar to which Inuyasha was pinned to...: Apparently, the Goshinboku here is not the one in the original Inuyasha storyline, thus, this Goshinboku is not located near Kaede's village. ^^


	3. Searching

Standard Disclaimer Apply  
  
  
"MINNA-SAN, WAKE UP!! KAGOME-CHAN IS MISSING!"  
  
  
True Identity  
By Sunflowerobi  
Chapter Three: Searching  
  
  
Inuyasha stirred and his eyes slowly lifted open. A bit unhappy, he glowered at Sango. "Damn it, woman! Keep your voice down!"  
  
Sango turned to him, terrified yet angry. "How can you say that?! Kagome-chan is missing! And I was foolish to think you _cared_ about her!"  
  
Now Inuyasha is fully awake. "_**WHAT?!**_" He was ready to jump down and question Sango face-to-face when he found out that... he couldn't. He couldn't mover his legs! "WTF?" He tried desperately to move, but his lower body wouldn't budge. "Dammit!" He cursed again and again, over and over, until-  
  
"It's no use, Inuyasha-sama." A voice squeaked out from the position of his left shoulder.  
  
"What's going on?" Shippou sat up, rubbing his eyes and pouting.  
  
"Yeah. What's all the noises about?" Miroku yawned as he lifted his head, now awake as well.  
  
Myouga glanced at them all closely. "I see."  
  
"What _**do**_ you see?" Inuyasha growled, impatient and annoyed.  
  
"Inuyasha-sama, may I say that you were all under the control of a sleeping spell?" Myouga jumped up and down on his lord's shoulder, waving his little arms frantically as he suddenly burst out.  
  
"**_WHAT?!_**" Inuyasha yelped and jumped up on the tree branch, wide eyed. Sniffing the air, Inuyasha's expression darkened. "Sesshoumaru, that bastard." Without another word, he leapt down from the tree and prepared to walk away when Sango's voice stopped him.  
  
"Wait- Inuyasha! Where are you going?!" Sango looked like a lost kitten, unsure of what to do.  
  
"To find Kagome." He muttered simply, although his golden orbs boiling with angry flames. Furious was the only word to describe his state of mood at the moment, even though there's hardly a trace to hint about it. Now Sesshoumaru had done it. He had kidnapped Kagome, and so **he** is going to pay. _**That**'ll_ teach him to mess with _**Inu-chan**'s_ life twice.  
  
"B-but... WE DON'T HAVE A SINGLE CLUE!!" Everything from Sango's life-long training evaporates into thin air as she fretted about Kagome's safety, not so sure about anything any more.  
  
Suddenly Miroku stood and appeared at her side. Squeezing her shoulder comfortingly, he looked at her with grim eyes. "Come. We'll all search for Kagome-sama. And I'm very much sure Inuyasha has a clue already." He looked at the hanyou.  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Let's go."  
  
***  
  
After a few hours of searching, Inuyasha lead the small party deeper into the dense forest, cursing each time he had to cut down some branches of bushes in the way. The small group was extremely tired, but Inuyasha made it clear that he refused to give up.  
  
"Come ON! Walk faster!" Inuyasha snapped when he saw their progress was getting slower and slower by the minutes.  
  
Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, as much as I am concern about Kagome-sama's welfare, you can be a little bit easier on us."  
  
Shippou chimed up. "I want to rest! But I want Kagome, too!" Little teardrops started to appear in his eyes.  
  
Inuyasha scoffed. "Grow up, brat. You can only choose one thing or the other. You can't have everything in your life, you know."  
  
"Wow. How smart of you, Inuyasha," Shippou stated dryly.  
  
Inuyasha chose to avoid that comment; finding Kagome is the most important thing right now. So instead of replying to the 'nasty' comment, Inuyasha decided to lead the party on, even deeper into the thick forest in search of Kagome.  
  
"Come on, move it."  
  
***Meanwhile...***  
  
Sesshoumaru stood over a high cliff, watching the kilometers and kilometers of land below him. The wench lay on the ground behind him, dozing peacefully under a tiny spell he had put on her. After all, he wasn't about to take any chances of being attacked from behind unexpectedly.  
  
"Sixty-six years..." The youkai lord whispered, not really paying attention to his surroundings as he sort through his thoughts. _...sixty-six years... Kyoko...missing... for sixty-six years..._  
  
He blinked something... watery from his eyes. No, it's not tears, for youkai don't cry. (Or at the very least, superior youkai don't cry.) A familiar scent tickled his nose, and his narrowed eyes widened ever so slightly. _...Kyoko...?_  
  
After a slight hesitation, the Lord of the Western Lands brushed it off as a trick of he mind. Turning away from the cliff, he paced toward the dozing girl and picked her up, intending to continue on his -- no, _their_ -- journey toward his castle.  
  
Victory sang in his mind, and a smirk tugged at his lips. _Heh,_ he chuckled mentally, _we'll see who is the winner, eh, Inuyasha?_  
  
He did not even have to _think_ what he wanted to say next, for the wind knows well and sings well: _ The older ones always win with victory in the end, for many worthless youths, one such as the hanyou by the name of Inuyasha, lack the many valuable experiences of true life..._  
  
***  
  
Kagome looked around at her surroundings: left, right, front, back, above, and below. Wherever she looked, there is only darkness... and more darkness. Occasionally, foggy mist will rise from who knows where. The almost-sixteen-year-old girl huddled in a small ball, scared out of her wits. "Inuyasha...Inuyasha..." she whispered his name over and over, wishing he would come to save her from this horrible lonely void.  
  
"...Kyoko, Sesshoumaru, you two are engaged to each other," an old male's baritone voice stated.  
  
Startled, Kagome snapped her head up to look around again. Still dark, but a light fog was beginning to thicken up. "...wha-?"  
  
"...How are you doing, Kyoko-chan?" This time it's a young boy's voice.  
  
"...who?" Kagome squinted her eyes, trying to make out the outlines of shadows. If there's any, that is. Suddenly, brightness lit the dark void, too bright to make it possible to see anything. The shikon detector yelped in surprise. As she tried to shield her eyes from the light, she found out that it's impossible to do so, as the light seems to come from _ within_ her vision. Slowly, the lights dimmed, and scenes of countryside displayed themselves within her vision.  
  
A boy was standing before her, smiling slightly. She could tell it's a youkai, for his ears were pointed, and he had snow white hair and amber eyes, with a fluffy-looking object resting on his shoulder. Dumb-founded, Kagome stared. This...boy seems... familiar to her. Hold on. Something's... something's on his forehead... It's a-  
  
Before Kagome can make out the mark on the boy's forehead, the image was gone, replaced by a younger looking boy. The younger boy turned toward her, blushing. Like the former one, he had a head of shocking white hair and amber eyes. However, this... boy had... DOGGY EARS?!  
  
Surprised, Kagome gasped softly. _...I-Inuyasha...?!_ Putting the pieces together, Kagome's eyes widened as she realized that the first boy could be... Sesshoumaru. But, what she couldn't understand was, _why_ in the world was she having visions of them as little kids...?  
  
As abruptly the younger Sesshoumaru had disappear, the younger Inuyasha was suddenly gone, this time replaced by a gentle-looking male in his mid-age. Somehow, just by looking at the gentle smile on the man's face made Kagome felt safe... Then the man was gone, in his place was dozens of pictures and scenes. Clutching her head, Kagome screamed in agony: it was just too much. Quickly falling to the floor as her knees buckled, Kagome held out her hand to where she thought the man had once stood. Just right before she fell onto the cold floor of the void unconscious, she whispered, "Chi...chi..."  
  
***  
  
Sesshoumaru sniffed at the air, tasting the sweet fragrance of the flowers surrounding him. Turning around, the Lord of the Western Lands spare a moment's glance at the wench wrapped up in his tail. Occasionally, she would twitch once or twice, whimpering slightly in her sleep. He frowned: this was not suppose to happen. The spell was meant to put her mind in a blank state, killing any thoughts that might come across her brain. Yet this was not the case here.  
  
Trembling, his brother's wench twisted this way and that in a form of struggling. The young lord's eyebrows dipped as he scowled and wrapped his tail around the girl more firmly. The shivering stopped, and the lord sighed in relief as the girl went limp.  
  
Looking ahead, Sesshoumaru eyed the path they were supposed to be traveling on. Sighing in frustration, he took to air, continuing on their way to his castle. _It seems I have to hurry. The wench is... special, as proven by her struggles with the spell, not that it'll ever work. And, after all, she did freed the Tetsusaiga._  
  
***Back With Inuyasha...***  
  
Inuyasha once again lead the small worn out searching party. "Come on!! You've got your rest, now hurry up!" He growled impatiently at their slow progress. "Dammit!! If you guys don't hurry, who'll guarantee that Sesshoumaru won't try to harm Kagome?"  
  
Miroku suddenly stopped in his track, his posture tensed.  
  
"What now?! You cowarding out?" Inuyasha taunted, not happy that they'll delay more time than necessary, by his standard.  
  
"Inuyasha," Miroku hissed, "Be quiet or we'll be attacked! _** THAT**_ will definitely delay our time!"  
  
Inuyasha clamped his mouth shut in obedience, although his eyes hinted something else.  
  
"Let's move hastily before we get found out." Miroku advised as they moved silently in the thick forest. The others nodded in agreement, Inuyasha included.  
  
Alas, they were not so lucky, as they soon found out.  
  
"Ahhh~! There they are!!" a silky voice whispered, the sound full of delight.  
  
"Attack them!! Seize the Shikon no Kakera!!" Another male voice, however stronger and less silky, chorused.  
  
A swarm of low-level youkai appeared before the group, baring their fangs at them and attacking.  
  
"Feh! Just a group of small fries!" Inuyasha raised his transformed Tetsusaiga, swinging it down with some anger.  
  
Immediately, all the youkai was gone, leaving on the ground their corpses. Everyone gaped as Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga calmly.  
  
"I-Inuyasha?" Shippou called out weakly.  
  
"Let's go." Inuyasha strode away.  
  
Deciding not to provoke the hanyou any further, the trio followed at a slow pace, with Kirara bouncing after them, trying to put distance between themselves and the angry hanyou.  
  
"Boy, Inuyasha sure is scary, ne?" Shippou whispered into the other two's ears, who could only nodded mutely.  
  
----------  
TRANSLATIONS:  
  
chichi: Father, Dad.  
Shikon no Kakera: Shikon shards.


	4. Discovery

Standard Disclaimer Apply  
  
  
_The young Lord of the Western Land stood at the edge of the dense forest that was part of his castle. Suddenly excited, the youkai lord transformed into his true, gigantic form as he pounced toward his home castle, with his cargo bouncing slightly on his back. A low growl emitted from his throat as he sensed unwanted visitors from afar...  
_  
  
True Identity  
By sunflowerobi  
Chapter Four: Discovery  
  
  
Kagome groaned as she rolled over in her bed. Her head and body are literally _aching_, which is _ not_ a good sign. With her eyes closed, she calmly sensed her surroundings with her nose and ears. There's a giggle from somewhere in this enclosed space. Opening her amber eyes warily, Kagome found herself facing two huge brown orbs. Not expecting this, Kagome could do the only thing she could think of at the precise moment: screaming at the top of her lungs.  
  
Forcing open her dry mouth, Kagome let out a bloody scream. "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"  
  
Suddenly, even louder than her bloody scream, a wailing started. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"  
  
The entrance door to the room, which Kagome hadn't notice before, was forced open with a loud bang, and with all his glory, the Lord of Western Land, in other words, Sesshoumaru, glided in. His own amber eyes was fixed on her own, glaring with an untold talent. Gulping slightly, Kagome jammed her mouth together to stop screaming, and eased back further toward the wall behind her. At the same time Kagome stopped screaming, the wailing also came to a halt. A little girl, who was the owner of the terrifying loud wail, sniffled a little and rubbed her brown eyes, which was what had made Kagome scream, with her chibi fists.  
  
Sesshoumaru, clearly unhappy with all the loud noises produced by the females, chose Kagome as his victim. "You. Will. Not. Ter-ri-fy. Rin." His words were sharp, almost to the point of slicing the air between them.  
  
With her back pressed against the wall behind her, Kagome knew clearly that she has no escape. So, with all the courage she can muster within her, she pulled herself up on slightly shaking legs and pointed a rude finger at Sesshoumaru. "And** you** will **not** order **me** what to **do**!!"  
  
Amused, Sesshoumaru raised his elegant eyebrows, accepting the challenge this puny human had threw at him. He would like **very much** to see what she can do before submitting loyalty, or at the very least, obedience, to him. Chuckling, if not a bit devilish, Sesshoumaru turned and walked away from the room with a quiet Rin at his heels, but not before: "If you want a change of clothing, you'll find some in the wardrobe." Of course, obedience to him include wearing proper clothing in his castle.  
  
Grimacing, Kagome looked down to find herself in a sweat-soaked uniform. Even though she definitely didn't want to listen to Sesshoumaru at all, a change of clothing right at then would be, or feel, **very** good.

_But then,_ her stubborn part argued, _ soon he'll want you to do everything ** his** way._

_For now. Just for now, _she calmed her stubborn part and went to the wardrobe. To her surprise, there's many yukata and kimono of different varieties. Humming with glee, Kagome picked out a simple light blue cotton yukata patterned with light green bamboo leaves. After finishing dressing in the yukata, Kagome peeked out to the hall outside. When she found no servants waddling around in the serene atmosphere, she slipped out the door and down the hall.

***

Sesshoumaru looked at the reports written by lords that served below him.

_Garbage. Definitely garbage._

Angrily, if not with rage, he slammed the last report onto the pile that he had nicknamed _junk_. He had more interesting matter to think and do than looking at these boring garbage and wasting his precious time. Interesting matter like... how to make his idiotic younger brother suffer. But first, he has to make the girl obey him.

***

Wandering past what she assumed the main hall, Kagome turned down even more corridors and halls. Although the sun had set about ten minutes ago, she still can, strangely, see every tiny detail of each place she passed. In a normal condition from before, she would be half-blind and stumbling each and every step.

Thinking as she walked, Kagome found herself watching a slightly opened door to her right in interest. Warily, she stepped toward the door with cautions, straining to hear every sound of movement near her. Within a foot from the door, Kagome zipped through the tiny gap like a small lightning. Not knowing that she could do that, she gazed at her own body with renew interest. But, to her horror, in the place of her normal neatly filed fingernails, now she has claws like that of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. She let out a strange choking sound before she could stop herself.

Kagome started to calm down, and after half a minute, she was placid enough to walk forward. With a beam of light that came from the moon outside through a window, she was able to see a portrait of a young youkai girl at the age of about 6 or 7, grinning at her with a smile so huge that it took up at least half of her face. Her eyes were amber, like that of Sesshoumaru's and Inuyasha's, and on her tiny forehead was a blue crescent moon similar to Sesshoumaru's. Kagome couldn't help but wonder where she had seen such a familiar face before.

Mesmerized, Kagome's feet started to walk forward toward the portrait on its own will, without Kagome even noticing the strange event; her amber eyes and thoughts were intent on the portrait, drinking in every detail. When she was merely a foot away from it, bright flames jumped forth from both sides, engulfing her. Panicked, she started to scream, only to realize that the flames didn't hurt her at all, such as the time when Yura of the Hair tried to kill her when she was wearing Inuyasha's fire-rat coat. Only, this time, she wasn't wearing it. Sweat formed on her face, glistening it, as she hugged her arms, trying to comfort herself. The shard detector had no idea what to do now. Maybe, just maybe, that she's trapped? Trapped inside this brightness until she stepped outside and fire - _real_ fire - will kill her?

Breaking the tension in the air, a cool and calm voice cut through her panicked thoughts. "What are you doing here? And just who, or _what_, are you?"

***Earlier***

Sesshoumaru sat at the back of the room, hidden by various objects to block other's view of him. His back leaned against the wall, supporting his weight. He sat there, looking at young Kyoko's portrait, painted before she disappeared without much trace. Musing, the Lord of the Western Land stared at his betrothed's portrait, sorting his jumbled thoughts. Every time when he's sad, lonely, or worried, however few times there were, he'd come to this room, looking at his supposed mate. But other time, he just come here to recall his childhood memories, how great it was back then.

A shadow darted in from outside the door, and immediately, Sesshoumaru was on guard, tensed although not too much in case _it_ noticed him. This tall figure, simply because it's tall, couldn't be Rin or Jaken. _It_, the shadowed figure, glanced at its own hands and let out a strange choking sound before noticing the huge portrait, its attention suddenly fixed on it. As if mesmerized, the figure walked forward toward the moonlight-framed portrait.

_A thief?_ Sesshoumaru immediately dismissed the thought. The room was spelled, working so that only the Royal family - in other words, his or any other youkai lord's family - can see it. And if a faithful servant was around long enough, he or she would know where to look to find the room, even if they couldn't see it. Adding to that, neither Rin nor Jaken could see it, although Jaken knew where to look for the room.

Sniffing the air slightly, the Lord of the Western Land found a somewhat familiar and strange fragrance with a mixture of both youkai and ningen. His golden eyes widened momentarily as he recognized the scent partially similar to Kyoko's.

Sesshoumaru watched intently at the temporarily forgotten shadowed figure. The figure was only a mere foot away from the huge picture of Kyoko, and if he or she was not supposed to be in this room... Bright flames suddenly leaped forth to lick at the figure. Briefly Sesshoumaru thought he'd have the satisfaction of hearing the terrified scream of the intruder, when he noticed that these flames that was activated... The fire was burning a steady purple, indicating that-

Intrigued and couldn't hold back the urge any more, Sesshoumaru could only open his mouth and ask perhaps the most important questions in his life. "What are you doing here? And just who, or _what_, are you?"

Almost guiltily, the figure turned around to face her captor. To his surprise, Sesshoumaru found himself staring at his captive, only the difference from when he saw her last, she has snowy white hair in addition to her pointed ears and sharp claws. This woman-child resembled to the one behind her.

Horrified, a faint whisper escaped from the Western Land Lord's mouth. "Kyo...ko..."

***

The next day, a determined Sesshoumaru took a utterly confused Kagome into his big library full of books written in the Inu language. Not caring what the title said, Sesshoumaru randomly picked out a book bind in blue cloth. He handed it to Kagome with the instruction, "Read what it says."

Curious, Kagome opened the book to the title page, then quickly thrust it back into the book shelf, blushing madly. Raising his eyebrows, Sesshoumaru leaned in to read the book's title, and instantaneously, his face went maroon. Coughing slightly, Sesshoumaru apologized in a small voice, and provided Kagome another book that is _appropriate_.

"Read this one," he instructed.

This time, it's Kagome's turn to raise her eyebrow. "This?" At Sesshoumaru's firm nod, she looked at the book's title, "'The Fairytale of a Princess'."

Joy stamped the lord's heart hard, but Sesshoumaru allowed none of any expression on his face. So instead, he had his captive tried more books and scrolls. When the sun finally set in the west, Sesshoumaru straightened from his seat and gave Kagome a rare smile.

"Let's go to dinner. I'm starving," he said.

***A Week Later...***

Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara were still on their way to rescue Kagome, and continuously cutting at annoying vines that stood in their way. After chasing by several groups of low-level youkai, they had, hopelessly, lost their way in the forest.

"I'm tired and I'm starving!" Shippou declared as Inuyasha swiped at numerous vines.

Sighing, Miroku patiently whispered to Shippou, "Just a little more, okay?"

But after half an hour, the tired and hungry Shippou decided he wouldn't take any more of this torture. "I'M TIRED AND I'M STARVING!! I WILL NOT WAIT ANY MORE-"

Knocked off Miroku's shoulder by Inuyasha, Shippou sailed a good few feet before he finally landed on an extra-thorny vine. Instantly, he started to bawl, crying for Kagome and his deceased parents. The group's mood already awful, Inuyasha finally snapped.

"If you are going to cry any more longer, brat, I'm going to snap your head off your neck for good!"

The threat didn't really work as Shippou's bawling only grew louder. Sango hugged him close as she also shed a few tears. "Shh... I understand, Shippou-chan... It's okay... We'll find Kagome-chan soon..." _I hope,_ she added as a thought, although she didn't say it out loud.

Everyone's mood was rotten without the cheerful Kagome with them; even the normally quiet Kirara was edgy.

¡@

Somewhere afar, looking at this scene through a mirror held by a completely white girl, a dark figure chuckled evilly. "Kukuku... How...delightful."

----------  
TRANSLATIONS:  
++There may be mistakes. If you, the readers, by chance, found them, please e-mail me or tell me in your review.++  
  
+futon: it's just something the Japanese sleep on. sort of like a mattress for them. Correct me if I'm wrong, tho. ^_^;;  
+chibi: small. little. tiny.   
+yukata / kimono: they're both Japanese clothes (-_-;;) but yukata are lighter and more...ordinary? Kimono tends to be more elegant and heavier, and sometimes they trail on the ground. I _think_.  
+ningen: human.  
+Inu: dog. (Thus **Inu**yasha means **Dog** Demon. =P) Although, I think the kanji is supposed to mean canine of the sort. (Hey, I'm also Chinese, you know. *puff*)


	5. Revelation

Well... I have no excuses this time... Wait, I DO!! *smiles innocently* SAT9 and CAT6... For those of you who don't know, it's an annual exam for... err, students in USA. ^__^;; Now that's over, I'll take my time and update most of my fics! ^__^;; (5/25/03)

Awww... geez... ^^;;; It's been such a long time, ne?? ;;;; Sorry for my extremely slow updating! I'll still try to update more when school starts... Now.... moving on! ^^;;; (8/25/03)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*flashback / end of flashback  
*sound effects*  
***scene change / change of POV (specified)***  
***time passed / change of POV (unspecified)  
*^^*^^*^^* Dreamscape / end of Dreamscape

True Identity  
By Sunflowerobi  
Chapter Five: Revelation

Kagome sat up in her bed as the morning shined bright and clear. Looking up, she suddenly noticed a small girl, who followed Sesshoumaru faithfully around, staring at her with great curiosity, yet quietly. Deciding to break the ice first, Kagome smiled sweetly at the girl and asked, "What's your name? My name is Kagome Higurashi."

Sizing the older girl up, the little girl finally opened her mouth and spoke with the most energetic voice Kagome had ever heard, although still somewhat cautiously. "I am Rin. Are you a princess of some sort?"

Kagome cocked her head to the side, creating an almost innocent expression. "Nope. Why did you ask?"

"Because," Rin's cheeks colored slightly, "you're rather pretty. And for the little knowledge Rin has, Rin knows for sure that only the royal and noble blood have the right to obtain a surname.

"Well, that's true," Kagome grinned at Rin. "But, in my era, everyone has a surname."

Rin's eyes widened at that. "Everyone?"

Kagome nodded earnestly. "Of course. It's common."

Rin leaned forward eagerly, suddenly fascinated. "Tell Rin more, please!"

_So full of energy. _Kagome smiled. "Maybe later. Now, why were you waiting for me to wake up?"

"Oh," Rin blinked, sitting back down in her seat properly. "Sesshoumaru-sama wanted to see Kagome-san. Sesshoumaru-sama asked Rin to bring Kagome-san to Sesshoumaru-sama."

Puzzled, the shard detector cocked her head to the side yet again in curiosity. "Sesshoumaru? What for?"

"Iie. It's Sesshoumaru-_sama._ Although, Rin doesn't know why Rin has to bring Kagome-san to Sesshoumaru-sama."

Kagome raised her eyebrows. "Sesshoumaru-_sama_?" Pleased, Rin nodded. Looking down to hide the fear in her eyes, Kagome spoke in a quiet voice, "Lead the way then, Rin-chan."

There was a few shuffles, and then... Feeling a tiny, chubby hand cupping her face, the captive looked up into the younger girl's warm chocolate brown eyes, which had once scared the wits out of her before. The cheerful one gave the solemn one a welcoming smile. "Don't worry, Sesshoumaru-sama isn't bad. He's... He's..." A frown appeared on the cheerful one's face as she tried to find the right words.

"Worse than bad?" Kagome offered oh-so-helpfully.

Shaking her head, Rin looked into Kagome's amber eyes. _So much...like...Sesshoumaru-sama..._ Her lips moved, and sound came out. "Sesshoumaru-sama is...very nice."

Rolling this new piece of information in her mind, debating if this girl is telling the truth or not, Kagome finally decided to ponder this at another time. She stood up and clapped her hand determinedly as an encouragement to the silent atmosphere. "Okay, Rin-chan! Let's go!" _I'm not scared of him, _she added silently in her mind. _I'll show him..._

***

The Lord of the Western land, as known as Sesshoumaru, paced the wooden floor of his private study. Jaken, his faithful but noisy servant, stood at the door, looking at his master with worry evident in his eyes. Suddenly frustrated, Sesshoumaru let out a growl and seated himself properly. His always perfectly-masked face was gone, in its place an annoyed expression. If you take a look at his face, you can read him like a book: all kinds of emotions, which he had bottle so securely before, displayed themselves on his flawless face.

"Are you quite sure, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken's oily voice reached the lord's elfish ears, breaking the lord out of this... this _weird_ state.

As if suddenly turning into another person, all freely flowed emotions were gone, once again trapped cautiously, and Sesshoumaru's eyes glinted with such wintriness that it sent shivers down Jaken's spine. "Do you," coldness dripped like icicles from his voice, "question my authority?"

Feigning approval, Jaken bowed low to the ground several times. "Surely this lowly Jaken can not question your mighty authority, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru chose to turn away and ignore the toad youkai for the while, until a timid knock came on the door. "Come in," his monotone voice called out. Turning toward his faithful retainer, he dismissed Jaken. "You may go now."

"Ha-hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Nimbly, Jaken darted past his master and out of the room in a hurry.

***

Kagome stood in front of the door silently, alone by herself. Rin, that cheerful young spirit, had left her a while ago, saying she had something else to do. Clearly understanding Rin's secret meaning, Kagome didn't try to drag the girl with her. Taking a deep breath and calling on the fragments of courage deep within her, she cautiously knocked on the wooden structure.

"Come in," that cold voice from within summoned her.

But her feet refused to move. She stared, somewhat shocked, at the wooden door before her. She couldn't help but wondered, _What if the monster decides to kill me?_ With that thought, her fear completely stabilized her, and so moments ticked by without a single movement from her.

"Make your decision: come in now or stand there forever." Yet again, the cruel words shot out from within.

Gritting her teeth, she made to move first her hand, then her feet. After some struggles, the amber-eyed girl managed to push back the wooden door(1). Another pair of tawny eyes greeted hers when she entered the study, and she stared right back at them, pushing away her fear, or at least trying to.

After some time of staring, Sesshoumaru finally spoke, "You're scared."

Sticking her chin out stubbornly, Kagome glared at him. "Don't be foolish."

An amused smile tugged at his lips. "Tell that to yourself. I can smell the fear on you."

Lips quivering, the girl looked away. "So what?"

Instead of answering her, Sesshoumaru turned his back to her and walked toward his seat, sighing.

Kagome blinked. Sesshoumaru, the great Lord of the Western Lands, **_sighing_**? Refocusing her golden eyes on the white figure, she stared **_hard_**. Certainly something fishy was going on here. "What do you want?" she suddenly demanded, rudely.

Seated properly before his desk, Sesshoumaru lazily raised his head and watched her. "Don't you have manners?" he asked after a while, when he turned his attention to his neatly filed claws.

Biting her bottom lip nervously from time to time, Kagome scoffed, "Who's the one that's rude first? Who took me from the company of my friends? Who _abducted_ me?"

Sesshoumaru slammed his palm down forcefully on the desk in front of him. "There was business I had to take care of," he snapped. "Business you won't understand."

Then at there, she decided to just let her anger go. _All_ of it. "Who made me read silly old scrolls and books for a whole week? Who took my happiness away and put me in a cold stone cage? Who-" Tears started to form and drip down her cheeks. "What do **_I_** have to do with you? **_I_** am myself, and will never, _**ever**_, concern myself with the likes of **_you_**!" Then there was silence, with the exception of her echoes.

Sesshoumaru stood up to his full height, towering over the fuming girl. His amber eyes were unreadable, containing an emotion Kagome was not sure of. "Is that so?" he asked her, almost breathlessly.

Her own livid eyes locked on his, and she replied fiercely, "Never so sure in my whole life."

Without a word, the Lord of the Western Lands whipped around and fished something out of a drawer behind him, then turn around in the same fashion, to reveal a glass vial containing some unknown yellow liquid. He held it out to her, his body language telling her to drink the contents. When the young woman didn't move to take it, the Lord snarled, "Drink it, if you are so sure."

She looked at him, suspicion in her eyes. Finally, sighing, as if she's trying to explain something complicated for someone very young, the ex-shard-detector said, "What if it's poison? I'm not stupid, you know." She scowled at him and her last comment.

The corner of his mouth twitched, hinting his amusement. Nevertheless, his eyes remained the same cold stone glint that made Kagome wanting to cower. "With all my pride and honor, I, Sesshoumaru, assure you that this is not poison." He glowered down at her, open to any reactions.

Cursing him in her mind with the few blasphemy she knew, Kagome wished she took "The Art of Profanity" lessons from Inuyasha. Steeling herself, she snatched the vial out of the lord's grip, her eyes matching his. Quickly she gulped down the glass container's content, not failing to notice how bitter the unknown liquid was. _Maybe it is poison,_ Kagome thought disdainfully as she reflected on the taste, _and I'm stupid enough to fall for that "assurance"._

Meanwhile, the lord was taking notes on the emotions the girl before him was showing. _Extremely undisciplined, that wench,_ he thought disapprovingly, although nothing on his face hinted his thoughts. _To show so much emotion is to beg for death; first code of survival._

The form before him shifted shape; Sesshoumaru had to use all his will not to smile, but his expression cracked into a happy, approving grin all the same.

***

I felt like I'm _burning_ and _melting_.

It was such a frighteningly disconcerting feeling, yet felt so wondrous at the same time. How can something be both disturbing and incredible at the same time, I couldn't help but wondered. But that's not something I could or should think of right then. All my thoughts were among the lines of: _"I'm melting", "Like chocolate in a hot temperature",_ and_ "It's _warm._"_

I felt like I was dropped into a tub of warm water -- not boiling hot, but just warm enough to calm the cold -- yet I could breath, although I still try not to. Suddenly, pain -- white, hot, sharp pain -- tore at me in places on my body. I opened my mouth to scream and let loose the pain, but it seemed like I've lost my voice at the time. Places I didn't know could hurt throbbed smartly, even long after the...the... Oh, that's for later.

As I was left with aches in parts of my body, I found I was -- surprisingly -- still on my feet. Looking up, I saw a rare boyish grin on Sesshoumaru's pale face. I release my tightly clenched jaw, feeling stiff, and a soft "What?" was asked.

Unexpectedly -- most unexpected indeed -- Sesshoumaru crossed the short distance between us, grabbed my shoulders, and hugged me.

A light, tickling whisper was in my ear, "Welcome back, Kyoko-chan."

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ADDITIONAL NOTES:  
  
(1) push back the wooden door: I've made it so that the doors in Sesshoumaru's...home are like shoji screen, but not exactly, as they're made purely out of wood. Sort of like sliding wooden doors, if you ask me. ^^  


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AUTHOR'S NOTES: (October, 3rd)

.....*sniff* All of you hate me, eh? __;;;; *sigh* Well, life's rough, ya know?

  
...Still not buying that...? Ah, curses. =/ Hmm... In truth, I was trying to make the chapter longer and have it makes sense, but I didn't know that it'll take so long to draw up these words, and that in the end, I _still_ don't have a long chapter.... x__x;; I'm so sorry! No, really, I am. =/

Well, I have no frickin' idea when I'm gonna update next, so no use in asking. In the meanwhile, I'm making a "status" page, so people can check on how far I've accomplished on certain fics of mine. It's not yet done, but you should probably check my bio for the link come Thanksgiving time (the end of November).

I suppose that's all for now, folks! Please review! and -- Thank you very much, you _have_ to know that your support is _greatly _appreciated. ^_^


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